Signaling device.



G 0. B. VON OBERSTADT.

SIGNALING DEVICE.

APPLICATION IILIJD PEB. s, 1912.

Patented Sept. 2, 1913.

2 sums-sum 1. b

,G. O. B. VON OBEPLSTADTf SIGNALING DEVICE.

APPLIGATLOH FILED FEB.6,1912.

atented Sept. 2, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

GRAF OSKAR BOP]? v0 OBERSTAD'I, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SIGNALING DEVICE Specification of Letters Intent.

Patented Sept. 2, 1913.

Application filed February 6, 1912. Serial No, 675,711.

To all whom it may concern,

ie it known that 1, Gran OSKAR Borr VON Oacns'raor, citizen of Germany, residing at Chicago Illinois, have. invented certain new and useful Improvements in Signaling Devices; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will onable others skilled in the art to which it ap' pertains to make and use the same.

Forrapid road vehicles, especially for automobiles, signaling devices are already known, consisting of a signal arm adapted to be operated from the seat of the driver and serving, for instance, to announce the intention of turning a corner and so to keep a following vehicle in check and prevent a collision.

The present invention relates to such a signaling devicefin which an automatic falling back of the signaling arm from its nal position is attained by simple and sure means. In order to accomplish this, the gear connecting the signaling arm with the lever,- pedal or other organ used to operate said arm contains a catch or the like adapted to carry said arm into the signaling position and there to automatically release it. This catch may consist essentially of spring pins which move past a guide surface and are by this means brought into their operative position.

The signaling arm may be situated at the side of the drivers or servants seat or at the back of the car; inthe first case it'may advantageously be formed in imitation of a mans arm. The connection of the signaling arm with the operative organ by the driver s seat may be accomplished in different ways, for instance, with the help of chain, belt or conical wheel gearing,

Two forms of the invention are illustratively exemplified by the accompanying drawing wherein- Figure 1 is a side View of an automobile chassis provided with my invention; Fig. 2,

is a top plan view thereof; Fig. 3, is a side elevational view of the mechnaism for operating the signaling arm; Figs. 4 and 5 are detail views showing the meansfor projecting ins against the signaling armto operate the same; Fig. 6 is a side elevational view of a modified form of the invention wherein the signaling arm is arranged at the slde of the drivers seat; Fig. 7, is a front view partly in section of the device shown in Fig.

6; and Fig. 8 is a top plan view of the modified form of the invention.

In the form of the invention shown in igs 1 to 5, the signaling arm is adapted to be directly moved through the intermediar of pins which are normally spring prcsse out of range of the arm, and at certain times are adapted to be moved into contact with the arm to move the same into signaling position. In this form of the invention pedal-lever b situated at a convenient,

distance from and opposite to the drivers seat operates b means of a pawl h a ratchet wh. el 2', 0 mm iivcly connected with a chainwheel Z and situated together with the latter loosely on the axis g of the pedal-lever b. From the chain-wheel Z an endless chain la, leads to the rear chain-wheel m, situated on and rigidly connected to the shaft (1 carrying the signal arm a, so that the latter can be operated by the movement of the pedallever. The si al-arm a is loosely connected to the shaft (Z and is raised by one of the plus a of a disk 0 rigidly connected to the shaft 1. These pins or are generally kept back-by springs and are pressed into the operative position for raising the arm by means of a guide surface 79. The pins and.

the guide surface are so, arranged that each time the pedal-lever is pressed down one-pin comes into action, raising the signal-arm wblen passing over the guide surface go and releasing the signal-arm when the guide surface is assed. The released signal-arm is returned to its initial ,position by a spring or by its own weight. The return of the pedal-lever to the initial position may be accomplished by means of a spring or counter-weight.

The modified form of the invention, in its essential detai1s,.is similar to the form shown in Figs. 1 to 5. In the modified form the signaling arm a is connected by means of a bell crank lever o--w -z with a link u, in turn connected by means of arod :0 with the bell crank lever 25 provided with the short arms a, which lever is fixed to the shaft 01, and the'pins n in the disk 0 act against the lever t to raise the link u and move the arm into the signaling position indicated in dotted linesin Fig. 7,.and denoted by the reference character a. When the arm is out of signaling 'positionit rests normally noted by a.

tion is substantially as followsiWhen pressure is applied-to the foot pedal 6 the pawl h acts against the ratchet wheel 71 causing revolution of the sprocket wheel Z which by means of the chain k revolves the wheel a and shaft d. As the shaft (Z revolves it carries around with it the disk 0, in which the pins nare slidably mounted and are nor-.

mally held out of operative position by means of the springs g. In the course of its revolution the disk 0 carries the pins against the guide 29 which is fixed to a suitable part of the frame of the vehicle. As one of these pins meets the inclined guide surface p, the pin is forced inwardly against the tension of the spring and caused to ride on the lateral surface of the guide p, and in the first form of the invention the pin, as indicated in Fig. 5, takes directly against the signaling arm a and raises it into signaling position. In the second form ofthe inventionthe pin after having been moved outwardly by the inclined guide surface p acts against the arm 8 of the lever t thereby raising the link a and the bell crank lever '12-'11: thus forcing the indicating arm a into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 7 and de- While the pin which .hasbeen forced inwardly is traveling on the lateral surface of the guide it will of course,-'be kept in contact with either the arm a or the lever t, and when the pin is opposite the substantially plane surface p of the guide, the

pin will be pressed back into its initial position bythe spring gand will be released from eitherthe arm a or the lever 25, enabling the signaling arm a to automatically return toa position where no signalwill be said second named actuating means is in operation.

2. A signaling device embodying therein a normally inoperative signaling arm, a

are retained but of operative relation to said signaling arm, means whereby sa1d p ns are successlvely set to actuate said arm, .and

means whereby said pins are moved to place said arm into signaling, position.

3. A signaling device embodying therein a signaling arm normally in inoperative position, a disk carrying a series of pins adapted successively to cooperate in moving said arm into signaling position, means for normally holding said. pins in inoperative position, means for revolving said disk, and means in the path of. said pins for rendering the same operative successively to move said arm into signaling position.

series of pins for movingsaid arm' into s1g nallng positlon, means whereby sa1d pins 4. A signaling devlce embodying therein a signaling arm normally in inoperative position, a revolubly mounted disk having a series of pins slidably mounted therein,

springs for normally retaining said pins in r inoperative position, means for revolving said disk, and a guide whereby said pins are successively moved into operative positionv to move said signaling. arm into signaling position. I

5. A signaling device embodying therein a pair of oppositely disposed parallel shafts,

a disk fixed on one shaft, said disk having a series of pins slidable therein, a signaling arm normally in inoperative position, springs for holding said pins'in inoperative position, a guide adjacent said disk and having a surface thereon adapted to successively move said pins into position whereby said gearing for transmitting motion from one shaft to another to. revolve sa1d disk.

signature in the presence of two witnesses. I

GRAF OSKAR BOPP VON ()BERSTADT.

- Witnesses:

RICHARD LEMP,

A. V. -W. COTTER.

arm is moved into si nalin osition and In testimony whereof I hereunto lafiix my 

